How is this a plausible trade? Does the "need for a DH" inspire a team to trade one player for another with weaker offensive and defensive skills? The Orioles let Mark Reynolds go to free agency after he essentially put up the numbers they could expect from Dunn.

I know fans never want to see Dunn in a White Sox uniform again, but I don't see how this sort of trade doesn't get a special color.

Dunn is a left handed hitter and the Orioles could use some lefty pop to go with Chris Davis. Why? Well, one reason is that Markakis hashad a down year offensively. In 2013, Markakis in 565 AB's has 9 HR 54 RBI and a slash line of .273/.326/.359. In contrast, in 481 AB's, Dunn has 31 HR 82 RBI with a slash line of .222/.322/.468. Markakis is the better defensive player and is younger (Markakis is 29 and Dunn is 33). Both have a year left on their contracts and the Orioles have a 2015 team option for Markakis.

I think it is a fair deal in this sense: Markakis gives a lot less power and RBI but gives better defense and better average and probably better OBP, although that has been a wash this year. Markakis could, in a pinch, lead off and do OK.

Neither one is great but Dunn gives the Orioles more of what they need and Markakis gives the Sox more of what they need (i.e., all around play). Of course, if the Sox do deal Dunn, they are going to have bring in some power.

Dunn is a left handed hitter and the Orioles could use some lefty pop to go with Chris Davis. Why? Well, one reason is that Markakis hashad a down year offensively. In 2013, Markakis in 565 AB's has 9 HR 54 RBI and a slash line of .273/.326/.359. In contrast, in 481 AB's, Dunn has 31 HR 82 RBI with a slash line of .222/.322/.468. Markakis is the better defensive player and is younger (Markakis is 29 and Dunn is 33). Both have a year left on their contracts and the Orioles have a 2015 team option for Markakis.

I think it is a fair deal in this sense: Markakis gives a lot less power and RBI but gives better defense and better average and probably better OBP, although that has been a wash this year. Markakis could, in a pinch, lead off and do OK.

Neither one is great but Dunn gives the Orioles more of what they need and Markakis gives the Sox more of what they need (i.e., all around play). Of course, if the Sox do deal Dunn, they are going to have bring in some power.

Proposing a Dunn for Markakis trade is not as far-fetched as it might seem on first glance, but Baltimore would not do it because Dunn is definitely not a Sholwalter type of player. Even if Sholwalter was amenable to the idea, Dunn does not fit into what Baltimore is trying to build, as his only viable position is DH. They let go of Reynolds not just because of the strikeouts but also because of defense. Sholwalter hates players who are limited fundamentally in certain areas. Not going to happen.

__________________"I have the ultimate respect for White Sox fans. They were as miserable as the Cubs and Red Sox fans ever were but always had the good decency to keep it to themselves. And when they finally won the World Series, they celebrated without annoying every other fan in the country." Jim Caple, ESPN (January 12, 2011)

"We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the (bleeding) obvious is the first duty of intelligent men." — George Orwell

Dunn is a left handed hitter and the Orioles could use some lefty pop to go with Chris Davis. Why? Well, one reason is that Markakis hashad a down year offensively. In 2013, Markakis in 565 AB's has 9 HR 54 RBI and a slash line of .273/.326/.359. In contrast, in 481 AB's, Dunn has 31 HR 82 RBI with a slash line of .222/.322/.468. Markakis is the better defensive player and is younger (Markakis is 29 and Dunn is 33). Both have a year left on their contracts and the Orioles have a 2015 team option for Markakis.

I think it is a fair deal in this sense: Markakis gives a lot less power and RBI but gives better defense and better average and probably better OBP, although that has been a wash this year. Markakis could, in a pinch, lead off and do OK.

Neither one is great but Dunn gives the Orioles more of what they need and Markakis gives the Sox more of what they need (i.e., all around play). Of course, if the Sox do deal Dunn, they are going to have bring in some power.

Markakis is a left-handed hitter who handles right-handed pitching better than Dunn. He hits left-handed pitching better than Dunn. He plays defense better than Dunn.

Maybe this deal makes sense in some fantasy league where general managers are looking at isolated stats rather than building teams that win games, but in the real world this trade only works if Markakis continues to underperform and Dunn turns around and has a better season than he ever has before.

The reason you like this trade, the reason most Sox fans would like this trade, the reason I would love to see this trade pulled off is that it would be an unrealistic trade heavily favoring the White Sox.

Markakis is a left-handed hitter who handles right-handed pitching better than Dunn. He hits left-handed pitching better than Dunn. He plays defense better than Dunn.

Markakis doesn't hit for anywhere near the power of Dunn. In fact, Markakis' offense has been declining the last couple of years and, let's face it, he wouldn't come without some risk. But a change of scenery might help Markakis and with only one year remaining on his contract, I think he may be worth a gamble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDog

Maybe this deal makes sense in some fantasy league where general managers are looking at isolated stats rather than building teams that win games, but in the real world this trade only works if Markakis continues to underperform and Dunn turns around and has a better season than he ever has before.

Not true. In a fantasy league, no one would trade Dunn's almost guaranteed 30 homers and 90 RBI for a guy who has been inconsistent with the bat but always good with the glove. In any 4 x 4 or 5 x 5 fantasy leagues, there are no points for defense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TDog

The reason you like this trade, the reason most Sox fans would like this trade, the reason I would love to see this trade pulled off is that it would be an unrealistic trade heavily favoring the White Sox.

We'll have to agree to disagree on this point. I see this as a fairly even deal but unlikely because Buck Showalter does not seem to favor one dimensional players like Dunn.